Strange Tales PART 1
by Sybil Silverphoenix
Summary: Stephen Strange is a single dad who lost his wife years ago in a tragic car accident. Since that night he has vowed to help anyone plagued by the Supernatural as Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme. His life is going smoothly at the moment but an unexpected visit from an certain Trickster puts the Good Doctor on edge. Doctor Strange could wind up losing everything if he isn't careful


'_Clea. She is so lovely… so wonderful and talented… I love her with all my heart…'_ The air is full of bright light and the only thing he has eyes for is her… a lovely young woman with bright hazel eyes and golden caramel colored hair… his wife… Clea. He is leaving… getting into a car, but he watches her.

'_Come with me.'_ He pleads as though he has said it a thousand times.

'_You know I can't. I've got to get ready for our 'big night' tonight, remember?'_ She replies and chuckles playfully brushing off his offer. _'Junior will be at my parents house tonight… so we can enjoy the party… and each other.'_ She adds and places a sweet yet enticing kiss upon his lips. He wants to plead for her to get their son and leave with him right now… but he can't. He remains silent and smiles sadly at his lovely wife, Clea.

'_I'll see you tonight, Dr. Strange.'_ She jests seductively as she walks away looking over her shoulder just so to eye her husband. Doctor Strange watches as she retreats further and further away.

'_Stay. Clea, stay with me! Please come back to me… Clea!'_ Doctor Strange yells as he reaches out for his wife trying to run to her… but she is out of his reach. He sees the darkness descend… the night… that terrible night! The only light is then that of the flames. The smell of gasoline hangs thickly in the air. Then comes the red and blue flashes and the sound of voices crackling over police scanners.

'_CLEA!'_ He yells in vain knowing what's coming next.

'_We're sorry, sir but you have to stay behind the line.'_ The police officer says and stops Strange from crossing on to the scene of the accident.

'_I'm a Doctor! Dammit all! Let me DO SOMETHING! PLEASE!'_ Strange yells as tears slip in torrents from his eyes.

'_There's NOTHING you CAN DO! NOTHING!'_ The police officer says and then his voice changes and suddenly there is a dark silhouette towering before him.

'_Who are you?'_ Strange asks as he looks at the dark shadowy figure questioningly.

'_I am NIGHTMARE!'_

"Daddy! Daddy! I had a bad dream!" Comes a little boy's voice. Strange's blue eyes snap open and watch the frightened six year old run across the darkened room to his bed and climb in.

"It's okay, lil' Stephen. It was just a… nightmare." Strange says to comfort his son. He has a moment to reflect on his own nightmare… 'That menacing presence. It's been following me since… since…' He can't even finish the thought. Instead, he clears his thoughts and focuses on his son.

"Listen to me. Your dreams can't hurt you unless you let them… okay?"

"Okay." The little boy replies tentatively.

"The next time you have a bad dream… you just tell yourself… and it… that it can't hurt you. That it has no power over you… because it isn't real." Strange then tells his son as he gives the boy a reassuring smile. The little boy nods his dark haired head. "Now just lay down and practice your deep breathing techniques, okay?"

"Okay, daddy." Little Stephen says and crawls under the covers. He starts his breathing techniques. "I love you, daddy." He then says and continues.

"I love you, too… lil' Stephen." Strange says and listens as his son soon quickly falls asleep. Strange, however, lays there still wide awake. He starts his own breathing exercise and soon slips off into slumber once more…

Stephen Strange is busy in the kitchen mixing batter for pancakes. His son, little Stephen, sits on a stool at the island counter watching his father intently. They smile at each other as Strange motions with his hands and the bowl floats up into the air and pours out small dabs of batter into the skillet to make little silver dollar pancakes. He then twirls his fingers and the little pancakes flip over to brown on the other side. The boy smiles and giggles as he watches his father make his favorite breakfast.

"There you go, lil' Stephen." Strange says to his son with a wide smile as the little golden pancakes fly through the air to land on the plate before the little boy. The syrup bottle and butter float past to complete the meal and a tall glass of chocolate milk comes to land next to the plate as well.

"Thank you, Daddy!" The little boy exclaims happily as he then digs in and eagerly consumes his breakfast. Strange then hears a knock at his front door.

"Keep an eye on little Stephen, Wong." Strange says as he starts to leave the kitchen. As he goes, a shorter Asian looking man appears from thin air in a wisp of cloud and mist.

"As my Master commands." Wong replies with a bow of his head then gives a neutral look to the little dark haired boy who simply smiles and eats as he looks to Wong. Strange lets the bowl and skillet float down to reside in the sink's hot soapy water where the scrub brush works to clean up by itself. He then wonders what could be going on now since only those truly needing his aid can find his front door, let alone knock upon it.

"Who disturbs my contemplation?" The deep rumble of his protection spell sounds as Strange approaches his front door. He removes his cooking apron and waves his hands down the front of his body. His clothing changes in an instant.

Strange is then dressed in a loose blue-gray tunic that is laced up the front with black straps. His pants are black slacks that tuck into the flared tops of his well-polished black boots and a long flowing black cape with a dark red lining is around his shoulders. It has a hood which he quickly pulls up over his head as he listens carefully for his visitor's reply.

"Please, Doctor Strange, I need your help!" The voice is a woman's and she sounds desperate. "I've tried everything I can think of… Paranormal Investigators, a Catholic Priest, and then at some Occult bookstore… your card just flew into my hand and the old lady behind the counter smiled at me and told me I needed a Doctor. So can you please help me?" The woman asks pleadingly. Strange sighs then opens his thick heavy wooden door with a simple wave of his hand. He summons a light mist which rolls out before him keeping him shrouded until the very last possible moment… the woman gasps as the mysterious hooded Doctor Strange appears! He pulls back the hood with both hands revealing his groomed dark hair which is just starting to turn silver at the sides and looks squarely at the stunned woman before him with serious yet warm blue eyes. He has always had a flare for the theatrical ever since he started this whole 'exorcist' gig of his.

"I am Doctor Strange… and maybe I can help you. Just tell me what seems to be the problem." He then says with a small smile to the woman. She sighs and thanks him for answering the door for her.

"They are small and are greenish gray in color when they do appear to my little boys. My sons described them as looking like those horrible little monsters on that 'Gremlins' movie that just came out not too long ago… and they are always rummaging through the cabinets and throwing things. I'm so scared that they'll hurt my children… please help me. I don't know what else to do." The woman explains and her eyes start to tear up as she pleads once more.

"Come inside, madam. I'll have my servant brew you a nice soothing chamomile tea with some honey and I'll gather my things." Doctor Strange says and helps the woman step inside. His eyes dart to look at the cat statue sitting up on a high self that overlooks his door. Its eyes glow green, that's a good sign… means she really is a woman in need. Such precautions are necessary when you fight Demons that can hide themselves and try to attack you in your home.

Doctor Strange leads the woman to his large study. The room is huge with a large fireplace dominating one wall and dark cherry wood panels all the walls. Large windows line one side of the long room where dark red curtains hang but don't really block the bright light from outside.

"Rest here, madam." Strange says as he has the woman sit in a chair before his large desk. He then turns away from her. "Wong! Prepare some chamomile tea with honey for our guest." Strange commands lightly. The woman focuses on the odd assortment of items gathered on Strange's dark wood desk and so doesn't notice Wong's odd entry.

"As my Master commands." Wong says with a bow then vanishes just as quickly into mist. The woman misses it though she does look up towards the new voice in the room.

"Do you have one of those fancy intercoms?" The woman asks awed then continues to look around the dark hued study.

"Not exactly." Strange answers as he approaches the long wall opposite the windows where several bookcases are built into it. He runs his fingers along the various book spines looking for the one he has in mind. "Here it is." He then says to himself as he passes a strange blackened skull that breaks up the row of books. He grabs the thick volume and pulls it out.

"Is that a spellbook?" The woman inquires curiously as she watches Doctor Strange open it and scan the first page… then he hurriedly shuffles through it to the desired page number.

"Would you say they look like this?" Strange then asks as he turns the thick book to her for inspection. The woman eyes the drawing of the thin gangly looking creature with green skin and a pale gray belly. It has tuffs of white looking hair coming out of its ears and large owl-like yellow eyes… the wide grinning maw lined with small sharp pointy teeth and long thin claws on its four fingered hands gives the little creature a truly scary and monstrous appearance.

"Y-yes." The woman answers shakily after she swallows nervously. "What are they?" She then asks worriedly as she looks at Doctor Strange with wavering eyes.

"Your tea, Madam." Wong says suddenly and presents the white china cup to her. She starts for a second then thanks the man and takes the offered tea. She takes a shaky sip and then sits it down on the desk.

"They are known as Hob-goblins. They are tricky little pranksters that have plagued mankind for as long as we've kept records… so for roughly six thousand years… who knows how long before that." Doctor Strange starts. He then leans on his desk with both hands and looks at the woman with serious eyes. "I can rid your home of them… even alter yours and your family's memories so that you all can move on from this and live in peace once more."

"What are you saying, Doctor?" The woman asks after taking another sip of the tea. She then sips again and comments on it. "This is really good tea." She starts to act woozy then and her voice falters as she blinks rapidly. Doctor Strange waves his hand and uses magic to catch both her and the cup as she passes out. He has her head rest gently on the desk and the cup lands before him.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Baker… but you'll have to forget me as well. It's part of the job." Doctor Strange then says with a slight sigh. He looks down at the open book. "I do hate tricksters." He comments dryly then closes the book.

Night has fallen and Doctor Strange is standing at the end of the driveway of a rather nice country home up north of New York City near the Hudson River. There is a marvelous view behind him of the black cliffs that edge the river… or at least that is you can see them better in the daylight. Now only the waxing gibbous moon lights the countryside which is eerily silent on this chilly early-October night.

Strange had returned the woman to her vehicle and planted the suggestion in her mind that her and her family should go spend the weekend at her mother's so the family would be out of the house… and thus out of the way. He waves his hands and a mist arises to cover the property. He then approaches the home and hears scurrying noises but only at the house. His hood is up as he gives a discerning look to the home's porch, around its sides, and up to its roof.

"If you come out now and surrender… I'll send you somewhere nice… if not…" He shouts out and lets his words trail off open ended. The scurrying stops but nothing shows itself. "The hard way it is then." Strange then says softly and tugs on a gold chain around his neck. He pulls a gold locket with an in-lay design of an eye on the cover in red from inside his tunic. He holds it out before him and clicks the cover open. The green light that emanates from within shines out and illuminates small four-toed footprints. They cover everything as the mist retreats from the light swiftly like a living thing fleeing from injury. Suddenly there is high-pitched giggling. It is all around the cloaked Doctor and if he was anyone else… he'd probably be a little freaked out by the eerie sounds.

"We stay!" Comes a small raspy voice then there is scurrying overhead.

"We like it here!" Comes another voice from the side and a bush is rustled.

"We will devour this family's souls through their fear…"

"Then move on to the next family down the road."

"That's not going to happen!" Doctor Strange says heatedly as the voices get more and more menacing. Strange then closes the locket yet holds it at the ready. He waits and watches as he hears the little creatures scurry about. They then rush at him from all sides. "By the Eye of Agamotto… I, the Sorcerer Supreme…" Doctor Strange starts as he clicks the locket open once more and a green mist flows out to swirl around Doctor Strange as he stands still in concentration. His eyes snap open and the green mist shoots outwards. "Remove you of your Souls and spiritual essences so that you may never torment anyone ever again!" He shouts then and the mist races out in swirling arcs taking hold of every single little creature and they are quickly pulled into the center of the Eye. They scream as they are lost to the Eye and vanish forever and then the mists fade… leaving the night peaceful once more.


End file.
